Organic Growth: More Farms Transitioning in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin

CASCADE, Iowa — Kim and Marvin Lynch’s dairy farm in Cascade was certified as organic in 2009, but the process wasn’t easy.

The Lynches had to discontinue using fertilizers, insecticides and synthetic herbicides in the fields of their third-generation farm for three years before it could be certified. Their cows could no longer be given a regular regimen of antibiotics.

Kim Lynch said the transition was challenging, but since then, her family’s farm has flourished.

“It’s definitely more labor-intensive. It’s also more financially stable,” she said. “Our only regret is that we didn’t do it earlier.”

The Lynches are part of a growing trend in the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Iowa experienced a 42 percent increase in the number of organic farms from 2008 to 2015 — the most recent year for which data is available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There were 674 such farms in 2015, but that still only constituted about 0.7 percent of farms in the state.

In that same time frame, the number of organic farms in Wisconsin grew from 994 to 1,205, a 38 percent increase, and in Illinois the count went from 162 to 196, a 20 percent increase.

Kate Mendenhall, managing director of Iowa Organic Association, said the sharp increase in demand for organic products is driving the trend.

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